


Love Lines

by Veridiansoul



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: M/M, Smaurent, betrothed from birth, hennike is the best mom everyone love her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-06-06 13:52:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15196157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veridiansoul/pseuds/Veridiansoul
Summary: A handful of oneshots following Damen and Laurent being betrothed from birth





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I randomly got inspired to write oneshots about Laurent and Damen's ongoing engagement, so this was born.
> 
> I have this one and plans for about 2 more: One consists of smaurent with a cat and both of them getting wasted. I also have plans for a sad one, but I don't know if I want to kill off Auguste. I will put the cat one for sure, but if anyone wants more please give me some ideas so I can do this in a somewhat chronological order.
> 
> Thank you!

Word of Queen Hennike’s second pregnancy had swept the lands and crossed the border into Akielos at the same time negotiations were going on. The warring countries were working on settling their differences, but their reluctant conferences were missing a seal to bind them together. The news couldn’t have come at a better time. Within a smattering of days, both countries had settled that the Queen’s unborn child would be betrothed to Prince Damianos, a bouncing boy of only five years of age.

The months passed with letters telling of the child and the Queen’s health before correspondence came saying that she was almost due. The Akielon royalty packed up all that was needed and made the reluctant trip to introduce their young Prince to his betrothed. The trip was long, longer yet with a boy just barely old enough to travel, but they made it only slightly late. The child had been born just the day before.

Theomedes, Aleron, and Damen entered the intricately designed chambers to find Hennike sitting up in bed and speaking quietly with her eldest son. The stress of childbirth still clung to her features in the exhaustion in her eyes and the limpidness of her blonde hair, but she smiled warmly as if they did not affect her. Auguste looked up when they entered and smiled radiantly at Damen, who was in the process of looking around the elaborate room curiously. Hennike inclined her head politely at her visitors before setting her sights on the reason for the intrusion.

“Prince Damianos, come here my child.” Hennike spoke the words in Akielon and leaned over the side of her sickbed, opening her arms invitingly. The young prince didn’t hesitate to jump into her arms, despite Theomedes looking as if he was about to chastise him for being so careless. She didn’t seem to mind as she pulled him onto her bed next to her eldest son. 

“My dear Hennike, perhaps you shouldn’t call him so familiarly,” Aleron said in Veretian from his place next to Theomedes. 

“As my future son-in-law, I will call him whatever I like,” she remarked, looking her husband in the eyes and pointedly speaking only Akielon. Each word was seeped in Veretian poison and the challenge to deny her this right. No challenge was made. She turned her sights on the boy looking up at her with big brown eyes. “You had to travel far to arrive here. Was the trip fun?”

“Yes! Father wouldn’t let me bring my pony, but I got to ride on a big horse with Father! He was this big!” Damen excitedly flung out his arms to measure, narrowly avoiding smacking Hennike or Auguste in the face in the process. Both Kings stiffened, but Hennike just laughed and pushed a hand through the dark curls falling into his eyes.

“How exciting, little one. Do you know why you are here?” Damen shook his head rapidly, sending his curls into a disaster. Her eyes softened lovingly at the display and Auguste chuckled from her side. “You are here to meet someone very special.” 

Hennike motioned Auguste forward and propped Damen against her further so he would be able to see the bundle in her eldest son’s arms. The smallest tuft of blonde hair stuck out against the blue blanket covered in starbursts as the child slept. Everyone in the room watched with bated breath as Auguste presented his little brother. “This is my son Laurent. He was born just yesterday, but he is a prince, just like you,” Hennike whispered, speaking only to Damen.

“Just like me?” Damen looked up at her with childish innocence that melted her heart before returning to the baby in Auguste’s arms. His hands grazed the edges of the blanket, gently touching Laurent’s sleeping face. He had been so bouncy and excitable, but the sight of the newborn baby seemed to calm his energy.

“Just like you. When he’s older, you two will wear matching rings and be the best of friends forever. He will move to Akielos to be with you when he is old enough.” She held her arms out for Laurent and settled him into Damen’s arms, carefully guiding him and helping him hold. Damen was so young, so prone to being careless, but he held Laurent like the most precious of jewels. “He’ll be far away from home, so I’ll need you to protect him for me. Can you do that?”

Damen stared starry-eyed at the bundle in his arms and seemed smitten already. It was almost as if he hadn’t heard what she said. It wasn’t until Laurent opened his ocean eyes and looked up into Damen’s did he finally nod. They were both so young, but Hennike knew that promise would never be broken.

\----

For the remainder of the Akielon visit to Vere, Aleron and Theomedes excused themselves to discuss the future arrangements while Hennike took it upon herself to watch all her little princelings. Damen did not stray far from her birthing rooms after first meeting Laurent, so she allowed him to stay with her for as long as he liked. He only ever left when his father sent him to bed. Even then, Hennike always kissed his forehead and sent him off to bed with wishes of pleasant dreams. She knew Damen was without a mother and had no qualms about stepping in. Damen also had no qualms, seeing that he draped himself over Hennike’s form more times than not as they lie in bed and chatted with Auguste when he returned from his studies. Both boys were enamored by Laurent and spent their time taking turns holding him.

When Hennike was finally feeling well enough to take a stroll outside through the gardens, she took her whole entourage on the trip. She carried Laurent in her arms while Damen held onto her skirts with one hand and Auguste’s hand with the other, chattering their ears off all the while. All around, people ducked their heads respectfully and avoided looking at the bundle in her arms. Laurent had not yet been introduced to the country and would be politely ignored until then. They made it through most of the gardens before she sat on a bench to rest and feed Laurent, who was crying fat wet tears. 

“My children, perhaps you should go pick Laurent some flowers to chase away his tears,” she said as she pulled the top of her loose dress aside to reveal her breast. The guards standing a respectable distance away averted their gazes to give her privacy.

“I know where there are some pretty yellow ones!” Auguste said in broken Akielon as he took Damen’s hand. Despite their difference in age and language, the two had become the best of friends.

“Yes! They will match his hair! We need blue ones too!” 

Together, the two princes took off running down the path. While Laurent fed, Hennike had the joy of watching them run around gathering a bouquet so big the gardener would surely come to her husband and complain that all the flowers had suddenly gone missing. If he ever came by to her birthing rooms, he would find them all accounted for in the biggest vase her attendant could find, right next to the drawing Auguste and Damen had drawn so Laurent wouldn’t forget Damen in the time they were apart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurent is very fond of cats.

Little Laurent padded into the room, his bare feet smacking on the marble floor. He made it all the way to Damen’s feet before he craned his neck back as far as it could go and stared up at his betrothed with bright blue eyes. He was only two and just slightly taller than Damen’s waist. They stared at each other for a few beats before Laurent lifted his hands expectantly and waited. When Damen just stared, Laurent made impatient sounds and bounced on his heels. Damen carefully lifted the little prince into his arms and watched his features become content.

“Laurent, you cannot keep running away from Mother when it is time for your nap.” Auguste popped his head out from around the banister with his arms outstretched, ready to scoop up the runaway at any moment. For a moment, there was a look of surprise on his face at the lack of child around the corner before he noticed said child in Damen’s arms. “Oh, I am sorry Damen that he disturbed you. He’s been rather fussy. I could take him from you.”

“No harm done, I was surprised to see him off by himself.” Auguste moved forward to take Laurent, but the little prince’s eyes immediately filled with tears. A sound akin to a whine stopped Auguste in his tracks. “Looks like he wants me to hold him. I don’t mind watching him for a while,” Damen hummed as he brushed some of the blonde hair out of Laurent’s crystalline eyes. In the letters he shared with Auguste, the other prince had mentioned that Laurent had become fussy in response to anyone trying to cut his hair or dress him. It seems that the dressing situation was under control, but he was still stubbornly defending his long locks.

“Titty!” Laurent demanded. 

Damen’s eyes widened a fraction.

“Did he just say what I think he said?” His Veretian was still pretty rudimentary, but he has definitely heard that word among the soldiers. 

Auguste had the audacity to look confused for a moment before he quickly shook his head. “Oh no, he’s trying to say kitty. Laurent refuses to be left alone with a nurse while we are in court, so one of the counsellors brings his cat for Laurent to play with under the table. He wants the cat.” Auguste moved to brush an errant strand of hair away from his brother’s face, but Laurent loudly whined and clung to Damen’s chiton. He sighed and put down his hand. “It’s quite a sight. The cat is much bigger than him.”

“Titty!” Laurent commanded again before Damen could reply. When he glanced down at the child in his arms, Laurent was already peering up at him. The second their eyes connected, fat tears started sliding down the little prince’s cheeks and he cried loudly.

“Is the cat here today?” Damen asked as he tried to pass the little prince to Auguste, but Laurent just screamed louder.

“Yes, it should be in the court room. I’ll be back.” Auguste rushed out of the room, leaving Damen to handle the crying boy on his own.

“Laurent, it’s okay. Your brother is going to get your cat for you. Please don’t cry,” he cooed while bouncing the young child in his arms as he walked. He had never had to quiet another child before, but this was Laurent. Seeing him cry made his heart ache. Unfortunately, the bouncing had no effect.

“I have him!” Auguste shouted as he entered the room, the orange and white cat cradled in his arms. He carried the cat to Laurent’s side and grinned. “Look Laurent, it’s your cat." Laurent’s tears instantly stopped when he saw the cat, alerting the other two in the room that they had been fooled. He outstretched his arms once again and leaned dangerously out of Damen’s grip towards the cat. 

“Titty!” Damen fumbled with Laurent for a second before he set the young prince on the floor. It would not look great if he dropped the youngest prince of Vere, let alone in front of his older brother. Auguste did the same with the cat and they both watched as Laurent crawled over, instantly pushing his face into the soft fur.

“He is exceedingly fond of the cat,” Damen mused as he watched Laurent pick up the cat that was bigger than himself and toddle towards Damen. The cat looked extremely unamused, but must have been just as bewitched by the little prince as the other two princes in the room to tolerate such treatment. Damen squatted to pet the cat, saving it some agony from Laurent trying to lift it. All the while, Laurent stared at Damen with his big, blue eyes.

“Oh yes, I do not think that the counsellor will ever get his cat back. Father is not pleased about having animals, but I’m sure Laurent will get his way.”

\---------

On Laurent’s tenth birthday, Damen made a point of asking the young prince for some time alone. They left the loud celebration and made their way to Damen’s chambers that have been attached to Laurent’s since they were first engaged. With each step towards the room, Laurent grew a little less confident. By the time they passed the threshold, Laurent was blushing and fidgeting with the laces on his sleeve.

“Damen, we should go back to the celebration. What did you want to show me?” He asked, his voice sounding confident even though his body language was not.

“I just wanted to give you your present. It isn’t appropriate for the court.” Damen admired the blush for a few more moments before he went to retrieve the present from another room. Before he entered, he called out, “Close your eyes!”

“My eyes are closed,” Laurent replied, already pulling one of the strings through the eyelet with his fidgeting.

Damen rounded the corner and was glad to know Laurent decided to not cheat this time. “Hold out your hands.” Laurent complied and Damen filled his open palms with the furry creature. Instantly, Laurent opened his eyes to see the black, fluffy kitten. His eyes widened as he brought it close to his chest and stroked over the white stripe on its front. When his eyes made their way back to Damen’s, he could see that Laurent was expecting something more plain. “He’s no horse, but I figured you’d like him.”

Laurent looked back down at the kitten purring in his arms and cuddled it a little closer. “What should I name him?”

“Titty,” Damen replied quickly, grinning so hard his dimple showed. Laurent’s blush darkened as he glared at Damen. He had always loathed Damen and Auguste telling that story.

“Maybe I’ll name him Barbarian after you,” Laurent scoffed, turning his nose up at Damen. Damen just laughed and reached over to scratch the kitten behind the ears. They petted the kitten in silence for a long while before Laurent suddenly spoke.

“Thank you.”

“Happy birthday, Laurent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I finally crawled out of the depths of school to write this up. If you have any ideas for things you want to see, please send them my way in the comments or at Taebabywhysoserious on tumblr. Also, I have a plan for if I wanted to kill off Auguste, but it'd be super sad. Would you prefer him to live or should we go the angst route??


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for putting up with my one post per break thing I have going on haha.

When Laurent was five, Damen made his first trip to Arles in the winter. Auguste and Damen had been begging their fathers for ages, each asking if Damen could come to see the snow. As soon as Laurent was old enough to join in, he was relentless and did more demanding than begging. Finally, they managed to convince their fathers into letting Damen visit.

The journey had Damen excitedly looking ahead and squinting at every hill they came close to. He had never seen snow before, but he was sure he would know it when he saw it. To his dismay, he didn’t see any snow from the borders of Vere to the castle of Arles. The temperature had dropped to a degree he had never experienced and his shivers wracked his whole body, but he was sure there was more to it than that. When he asked Auguste about it, he apologetically told Damen that the first snow of the year hadn’t happened yet, but it should happen soon. Damen went to bed disappointed on his first night.

The next morning, Damen awoke to Laurent launching himself into the bed and excitedly shaking him. “Damen! It snowed! Come see! Come see!” Before he could reply, Laurent flew off the bed in a flourish of his nightshirt and pulled the curtains open, releasing a bright light into the room. The little prince practically vibrated with excitement. Damen made his way to the window and looked out in awe. The reflection from the white blanket covering every surface made him squint, but he couldn’t look away. He never imagined that it could be so beautiful.

Auguste soon slid into the room, still dressed in his night clothes and a big grin on his face. “Have you seen it?” The looks he received were all the answer he needed. He pointed at Damen. “Dress warm and meet us in the grand hall. Come, little brother!” Laurent ran to Auguste’s side and took his hand. Together, the two of them sprinted down the hallway towards their rooms, their laughter marking their path. By the time the door slammed shut down the hall, Damen was already stripping out of his bed clothes and dressing in the clothes Aleron had bought for his arrival. He dressed in the Veretian clothes faster than he ever had before. Damen had just made it to the grand hall and swept his thick cloak over his shoulders when Laurent and Auguste ran into the room, hand-in-hand. Laurent’s cloak was so thick and long on his thin frame, but the extra weight didn’t faze him at all.

“Damen! Let’s go!” Laurent took Damen’s hand in his free one and they all ran out the palace doors into the cold. A guard reminded them to watch their step. Auguste and Laurent quickly adjusted their movement from experience, but Damen slipped the second he hit an ice patch. His fumbling pulled Laurent down with him and Auguste in consequence. They all stared at each other before bursting into a round of giggles and scrambling towards the snow covered yard. 

“Damen!” Laurent shouted his name at the same moment he threw a snowball. The snow hit Damen square in the stomach before exploding with a puff.

“Laurent, if you’re going to surprise someone you shouldn’t shout their name before you do it,” Auguste laughed out, his joy written all over his face. He quickly picked up a snowball and also chucked it at Damen, exploding it all over his shoulder. “All troops advance toward Damen! Attack!” Auguste shouted, picking up as many snowballs as he could carry and throwing them. Laurent squealed with glee and ran straight for Damen.

“That’s how it’s going to be? Bring it on!” Damen scooped up some snowballs of his own and threw. Together, all three princelings rolled around, playing war games in the snow. Eventually, Damen caught Laurent and slung him onto his shoulder. Laurent giggled and screamed, crushing the snowballs in his hands into Damen’s curls. “I’ve got your Prince!”

“Auguste! Auguste! I’m Damen’s Prince now!” Laurent shouted. He took one of the snowballs out of Damen’s hand and threw it at his brother. Auguste could have easily dodged, but he purposefully let it hit him. His jaw dropped comically, making Laurent giggle. Laurent crawled his way up to sit on Damen’s shoulders and roared. 

“Are you my little dragon now?” Damen asked, holding onto Laurent’s legs. The little prince just roared again and threw more snowballs. Auguste laughed. 

“Auguste! I’m burning you! I’m a dragon! Roar!” Laurent yelled, very peeved that Auguste was laughing instead of screaming. Auguste quickly started running, Damen and Laurent following him and throwing snow. They continued to scream and run around for quite some time, surely waking up the entire castle, before a soft voice called out to them.

“Come, my little princelings and my little dragon. Your breakfast is ready,” Hennike called from the entrance to the castle, already dressed in her thick gown with her hair braided down her back. Laurent’s head immediately swiveled.

“Mother!” He slid off Damen’s shoulders and ran to his mother’s side, only slipping a little bit on the way. Hennike caught him with ease and swept Laurent onto her hip. She kissed his cheek and waited as he returned it. 

“My little dragon, be careful.” Hennike slid a hand through Laurent’s hair and he just roared. She then looked back out at Damen and Auguste, smiling. “Come, you can play after you’ve eaten. The snow will still be there when you return.” Damen and Auguste made their way to Hennike, each of them kissing the Queen’s cheek and receiving one in turn. After Damen had received his kiss, she pressed her hand to his lower back and led them forward. 

Damen could get used to the cold if it always followed with warmth like this.


End file.
